NEW YORK, January 18, 2011– Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, chief reputation strategist at Weber Shandwick, one of the world’s leading global public relations firms, has been named to the “Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior” by Trust Across America, an organization dedicated to promoting trustworthy business behavior.

The “Top 100 Thought Leaders” represents the culmination of two years of research by Trust Across America, which sought nominations from over 150 esteemed professionals across the nation. The list was narrowed through an extensive vetting process.

Weber Shandwick CEO Harris Diamond said, “We are thrilled for Leslie’s honor and proud of her pioneering work in the realm of reputation management and business ethics. Through her tireless research, thought leadership and client counsel, she has illuminated important trends, key issues and best practices. Her thought leadership initiatives on behalf of Weber Shandwick are widely recognized and she has set an industry standard for trust in business.”

Gaines-Ross leads Weber Shandwick’s global reputation consulting services and thought leadership development. She is the architect of groundbreaking, award-winning research into CEO and corporate reputation, leadership transitions, corporate rankings, online reputation, executive visibility, and reputation sustainability and recovery. Gaines-Ross is the author of Corporate Reputation 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation and CEO Capital. Most recently, she authored a Harvard Business Review article on Reputation Warfare and commissioned a study on socializing your CEO. Her blog can be found at www.reputationXchange.com and she can be followed on Twitter at @ReputationRx.